A brilliant result from the latest PMI, with the highest level of expansion since the beginning of the year. Positive comments typically noted a lift in construction, as well as a pick-up in offshore orders. See more below.

Also this month - time to focus on your online presence as well as physical. Some great resources are available - including the upcoming online marketplace summit on 27 June with some world leading experts sharing their knowledge and experience.

Happy workplace = productive workplace. There's a brand new FREE online tool to help you achieve this. Find out more about Good4Work below...

Catherine Beard

027 463 3212 or cbeard@businessnz.org.nz

New Zealand's level of manufacturing expansion experienced a boost in April, according to the BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI).

The seasonally adjusted PMI for April was 58.9.  This was 5.8 points higher than March, and the highest level of expansion since January 2016.

The sizeable pick up in expansion is welcome, especially given the overall activity results for the past four months.

BNZ Senior Economist, Doug Steel said that "it’s a move from so-so to outright strong." More...

Change is coming for New Zealand businesses. Have you been thinking about measuring your carbon footprint but are not sure where to start?

AECOM is hosting a breakfast covering how the upcoming New Zealand Zero Carbon Act might affect your business, how you can measure and understand your carbon footprint, and prepare to transition to a low carbon economy.

AIM OF THE SESSION

• Understand how future NZ legislative changes may require your business to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (based on similar experiences in the UK)
• Gain an overview of what tools and standards are available to measure and monitor emissions
• Hear examples of what other businesses are doing to measure and reduce their greenhouse emissions
• Initiate thinking about your own business/work and where opportunities to reduce emissions might lie.

FRIDAY 8 JUNE
7:30­-9:15am, AECOM House, Level 2, 8 Mahuhu Crescent, Auckland CBD

QUESTIONS: Sarah Lindberg, Principal Sustainability Consultant
sarah.lindberg@aecom.com

PLEASE RSVP BY 30 MAY to jessica.wilson@aecom.com and include any dietary requirements.

WorkSafe New Zealand is consulting on proposed changes to Workplace Exposure Standards (WESs) for the following substances: Beryllium, Cobalt, Chromium (VI), Manganese, Nickel, Perchloroethylene, Portland cement, synthetic mineral (vitreous) fibres, sulphuric acid, and total welding fume.

Reviews for each of these proposed WESs have been carried out by WorkSafe.  There are separate proposal documents for each of the proposed WESs.  The proposal documents and the Submission Document are located here.

Feedback is welcomed from individuals, businesses and industry associations. To provide a submission please use (only use) the submission spreadsheet.
The deadline for response is 29th June 2018.
Where to send your response: exposurestandards@worksafe.govt.nz. Subject line: Consultation on WES and BEIs.

Good4Work is a tool designed to help small to medium-sized businesses and businesses just getting started in workplace wellbeing. 

It draws on insights from business owners and managers around the country, which showed that while businesses valued the wellbeing of their employees and were keen to embed positive practices into their workplace (recognising that a happy workplace is a productive one) they often didn’t know where to start.

They wanted a product that had “done the homework for them” and “took the thinking out of workplace well-being.”

This new tool draws upon the most up-to-date workplace wellbeing knowledge and experience in New Zealand, and incorporates the World Health Organization’s best practice ideas and recommendations for a healthy workplace.

Good4Work starts with a quiz to help businesses rate their workplace and identify priorities for improvement. They will then be provided with suggested strategies and resources to help them take action. And this is all FREE! Check it out here...

More than ever before, consumers the world over are buying online and becoming more demanding about information on the products they’re interested in. It’s something brand owners really need to keep in mind, says Dr Peter Stevens, Chief Executive of standards agency GS1 NZ.

“Kiwi exporters need to be directly engaged in the process of providing structured information on their products, not just to satisfy their ultimate consumers, but also to meet regulation.  For example, the EU passed ‘distance labeling’ legislation that came into effect in 2015 (EU 1169:2011). EU 1169 means when a consumer can’t physically touch a food product (e.g. online), certain things must be digitally available– such as the nutritional content, allergens, ingredients and country of origin etc.

“It’s a violation by the retailer of European law if this is not available, and if the presented information does not match the physical product delivered.  In practical terms it means that a product could be for sale in Tesco’s, for example, but not available at www.tesco.com. More...

GS1 NZ has partnered with BusinessNZ, ExportNZ and Retail NZ to bring you Connect 2018 - Online Marketplace Summit, offering a unique opportunity to learn the latest ideas from leading players in the online world. It's all happening on 27 June at the Pullman Hotel, Auckland.

Topics & Speakers include:

Jump the curve: insights from 'now' and predictions for the future; eBay (USA) - Amit Menipaz, VP, Vertical Experiences & Platform
​Building a global business from our own backyard; Trade Me - Stuart McLean, Head of Marketplace
Seek, find, enjoy. As New Zealand's largest online seller, Countdown have 20+ years worth of experience to share; Countdown - Sally Copland, Head of Online
​The big picture: How search, purchase and fulfillment integrate; GS1 Global Office (USA) - Robert Beideman, SVP, Solutions & Innovations.

Find out more->>

The Government’s draft strategy for improving the health and safety of New Zealand workers over the next 10 years has been released, with submissions now being called for, says Minister for Workplace Relations and Safety, Iain Lees-Galloway.

“New Zealand has made good progress in recent years in reducing the rate of acute harm. However, urgent work still remains. I believe that we can be among world leaders for healthy and safe workplaces,” says Mr Lees-Galloway.

“The Strategy outlines an opportunity to drive ambitious, sustained and system-wide improvements in our health and safety performance to significantly lift the wellbeing and living standards of all workers and their families in New Zealand.

“A key priority highlighted in the Strategy is ensuring better outcomes for Māori, and other workers at greater risk who are over represented in injury statistics and high-risk sectors, such as forestry and construction, or more likely to be engaged in temporary, geographically remote or precarious employment.

“The public consultation is open until 8 June 2018 and a summary of the consultation will be made available later this year,” Mr Lees-Galloway says.

Read about the strategy here->>

DIGI_X: Digital Decisions 2018 is a digital strategy conference for the decisions makers and influencers in business, to help them achieve their goals for scale, scope and speed through the use of digital technologies and platforms. It's happening on 21 June in Auckland.

Decisive business leaders and managers who embrace emerging technologies and lead their people into an innovation culture, can deliver meaningful digital transformation at the core of their business.

VIDEO - Click here to see what some of the speakers think about technology and innovation in New Zealand.

More info & registration->>

Congratulations to Canterbury-based ArcActive, which has signed a deal with the second largest US lead battery manufacturer, East Penn Manufacturing, to further develop its innovative carbon fibre electrode technology for lead batteries. More...

Don’t forget to check out our contract manufacturers directory if you are looking for contract manufacturing support or you are wanting to advertise your services! 

There are some great resources - see here->>

Missed an issue of Manufacturing News? Click here to access all previous issues in our Newsletter Archive.